RIGHT TO BOYCOTT PUBLIC MEETING APRIL 24TH
WEMBLEY PARK
Monday April 24th at 7.30 to 9pm. Chalkhill Community Centre, Welford Centre, 113 Chalkhill Road, Wembley Park, HA9 9FX 2 minutes walk from Wembley Park tube station and served by many buses from all parts of Brent and Harrow.
SPEAKERS: Andrew Feinstein, Former ANC MP in South Africa and Ryvka Barnard, Deputy Director, Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
Entry is free but PLEASE register with Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/595697135167
A public meeting at Chalkhill Community Centre on Monday April 24th will focus on Government plans to limit the right of public bodies to boycott. A Coalition has been formed to challenge the proposed Bill that could affect many campaigning organisations and its declaration has been signed by 60 human rights and environment campaigns, religious organisations and trade unions. Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) have long been an effective and peaceful means of bringing about change.
THE DECLARATION
As a group of civil society organisations made up of trade unions, charities, NGOs, faith, climate justice, human rights, cultural, campaigning, and solidarity organisations, we advocate for the right of public bodies to decide not to purchase or procure from, or invest in companies involved in human rights abuse, abuse of workers’ rights, destruction of our planet, or any other harmful or illegal acts. We therefore oppose the government’s proposed law to stop public bodies from taking such actions.
The government has indicated that a main intention of any legislation is to ensure that public bodies follow UK foreign policy in their purchasing, procurement, and investment decisions, particularly relating to Israel and Palestine. We are concerned that this would prevent public bodies from deciding not to invest in or procure from companies complicit in the violation of the rights of the Palestinian people. We affirm that it is the right of public bodies to do so, and in fact a responsibility to break ties with companies contributing to abuses of rights and violations of international law in occupied Palestine and anywhere else where such acts occur.
From bus boycotts against racial segregation to divestment from fossil fuel companies to arms embargoes against apartheid, boycott, divestment, and sanctions campaigns have been applied throughout history to put economic, cultural, or political pressure on a regime, institution, or company to force it to change abusive, discriminatory, or illegal policies. If passed, this law will stifle a wide range of campaigns concerned with the arms trade, climate justice, human rights, international law, and international solidarity with oppressed peoples struggling for justice. The proposed law presents a threat to freedom of expression, and the ability of public bodies and democratic institutions to spend, invest and trade ethically in line with international law and human rights.
We call on the UK government to immediately halt this bill, on opposition parties to oppose it and on civil society to mobilise in support of the right to boycott in the cause of justice.
Badges from the 1980s
BRENT HISTORY
The presence on the platform of former ANC MP Andrew Feinstein is particularly appropriate as Brent has a proud record of opposing South African apartheid as I wrote in a previous article:
South African fruit was a particular target and small groups were set up across the country and in universities with at its peak 140-150 groups. The deaths of two students in 1976 in the Soweto Students Uprising generated further support for action against apartheid and in 1984 Brent Anti-Apartheid was working with the National Union of Students, women's groups and black organisations appealing to Trade Unions not to handle South African goods.
There were calls for boycotts that have similarities with those promoted today by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign with a wider focus targeting sporting links, divest from companies profiting from apartheid, pension fund divestment, arms embargo and the release of political prisoners. Barclays Bank, the biggest high street bank in South Africa,was targeted locally and Brent Labour Party moved its account to the Co-operative Bank.
The Labour Council at the time was part of a local authority delegation to Margaret Thatcher to present a petition if favour of the boycott and the Council stopped contracts with firms with South African links and councillors took part in pickets of supermarkets urging them not to stock South African goods.
Reflecting on that history it is to be hoped that the current Labour Council will also stand up for the right to boycott and divest.
Monday's meeting is jointly organised by Brent Friends of Palestine who raise funds for the charity Brent Friends of Palestine, and the Brent and Harrow Palestine Solidarity Campaign. With Amnesty International claiming that Israel is operating a system of apartheid LINK it is telling that two of the 1980s badges above, on ending investment and boycotting Barclay's Bank, apply to current campaigns on human rights in Palestine, the arms trade and investment in fossil fuels.
Ryvka Barnard from Palestine Solidarity will make the links with current campaigns, the situtation in Israel-Palestine and the need to strongly resist the Government's propose new law.
In 2020 when PSC asked Brent Council for details of its Local Government Pension Fund Investments the following companies that they invested in were involved in arms sales etc:
Barclays £1,252,342
Barclays is a British multinational bank and financial services company. Barclays hold approximately £1,167.6 millions of investments in companies that are known to supply the Israeli military. This includes Babcock, BAE and Boeing, Cobham and Rolls Royce. More information available in War on Want’s 2017 ‘Deadly Investments’ report.
BAE Systems £970,233
According to CAAT, “BAE Systems is the world’s fourth largest arms producer. Its portfolio includes fighter aircraft, warships, tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery, missiles and small arms ammunition. It has military customers in over 100 countries. BAE has a workshare agreement with Lockheed Martin producing the US F-35 stealth combat aircraft. Israel, for example, took delivery of its first F-35 in 2016. According to Investigate, a project by the American Friends Service Committee, BAE has worked in cooperation with Lockheed Martin and Rafael to produce and market the naval Protector drone used to maintain the siege of Gaza along the Mediterranean coast.
Smiths Group £316,811
According to CAAT “Smiths Group is a global technology company with five divisions: John Crane, Smiths Medical, Smiths Detection, Smiths Interconnect and Flex-Tek. Smiths Connectors is part of Smiths Interconnect and comprises Hypertac, IDI and Sabritec brands. Products include connectors used in fighting vehicles, unmanned vehicles and avionics systems.” They have applied for a number of military export licences to Israel.
Rolls Royce £294,535
Rolls-Royce is a British manufacturer that produces military aircraft engines, naval engines and cores for nuclear submarines. Despite arms comprising only 26% of its total sales, it is still the world’s 17th largest Arms trade. In 2014, the year of Israel’s arial bombardment and ground invasion of Gaza, which killed over 2,200 civilians, nearly a quarter of them children, Rolls-Royce was granted export licenses for engines for military aircrafts to Israel
When PSC requested updated information last year Brent Council said they were unable to supply details of individual companies as they were incorporated into various investment funds.
